TUNISIAN TOURISM RECOVERY SEEMS CERTAIN

The increase in arrivals in Tunisia since the beginning of the year amounts to 26%. An increase compared to the first half of 2017.

The number of tourists registered from January to June - 3.2 million - even exceeds that of the first half of 2010 - 2.9 million - 2010 being the reference year of Tunisian tourism.

Attendance in the first half of the year generated 420 million euros in revenues, an increase of 46% over one year and revenues comparable to those of the same period in 2010, with approximately 423 million euros. Local authorities are pleased by the tourism recovery.

The statistics show that over the first six months of this year, the European market increased dramatically compared to 2017. In fact, the number of European tourists increased by 59.9%.

The French represent the biggest international source market for Tunisian tourism recovery with 302,878 tourists (in the first semester), or 49.7% more than in 2017. In this same context, there are 96,437 Germans (a growth of 60.6%), 221,987 Russians (+ 48.3%), and 274,351 other Europeans (+ 85.4%).

Algerian visitors are the most numerous, with a total of 905,053 tourists, which represents an increase of 18.1%. There are also 718 889 Libyans (+ 16%) and 35 664 shared by Morocco and Mauritania. Moreover, the Chinese were 54.8% more numerous until June 30, 2018 compared to the same period in 2017 (15,269 tourists).

The jihadist attack on the Algerian border last Sunday, which claimed the lives of six police officers, raises new fears for tourism however, even if the site of the attack is located far from the coast which attracts travelers, especially Europeans and Americans.

The tourism sector accounts for more than 7% of GDP in Tunisia. According to the World Bank, more than 480,000 jobs depend directly or indirectly on this sector, or about 12% of the active population.